WILL multi-titled high school tactician Goldwin Monteverde take over at the helm of University of the Philippines?
Coach Bo Perasol remains the man for the job, for now.
“There’s really not much to say about it. As I mentioned, my appointment is up to the end of the year,” Perasol told Malaya-Business Insight yesterday.
“The decision to change coaches is the responsibility of the Chancellor. So, until then, I’m still the head coach of the team,” he added.
Reports (not in Malaya-Business Insight) came out last Tuesday that Monteverde would likely be the next strategist of the Fighting Maroons, especially with the big offseason transfers of former Nazareth School of National University standouts Carl Tamayo and Gerry Abadiano to UP last year.
Prolific scorer Terrence Fortea has also moved to the Maroons recently. Tamayo, Abadiano, and Fortea were all former players of Monteverde at the Bullpups.
Monteverde was tapped to call the shots for the Bulldogs in late 2019 after the exit of Jamike Jarin.
But a reported disagreement over sponsorship and control of the squad led to the exodus of the three NU high school stars and Monteverde.
A former Air21 and Powerade coach in the PBA who also handled Ateneo, Perasol began coaching the Maroons in 2016.
He guided the Katipunan-based five to a memorable finals stint in 2018 and to the Final Four anew in the last UAAP cage wars.
Gone is star forward Kobe Paras, who opted to try his luck in the United States anew, while prized playmaker Juan Gomez de Liaño is also unlikely to return to the team despite getting a special guest player license from the Games and Amusements Board after he suited up as a pro in last year’s Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 league.
Aside from the trio of Tamayo, Abadiano, and Fortea, former Mapua guard Cyril Gonzales, La Salle Greenhills gunner RC Calimag, Xavier’s Miguel Tan, Fil-Am guard Sam Dowd, Fil-Canadians Alonso Tan and Anton Eusebio should be big additions to the squad.
